Replace ObamaCare, Don’t Rename It

Trying to cure all the program’s ills will only make them worse—and the GOP will get the blame.

By

Phil Gramm

Updated Feb. 2, 2017 7:23 pm ET

So powerful is the political appeal of entitlement programs that modern democracies routinely choose bankruptcy over curtailing them. That’s even true of ObamaCare. Despite surging premiums, lagging enrollment, the growing burden on the economy, and the enduring opposition of most voters, the debate is about replacing rather than simply repealing it.

If the objective were simply to prove why something as important as health insurance should never be turned over to the government, lawmakers would simply pass a health-care...